BoyScoutGirl wrote:Pssst, guys... The "five kingdoms" organizational view of life is actually fairly long outdated, though it is still sometimes taught in classrooms. Biologists now use three domains: Eukaryotes (including Fungi and pretty much anything else multicellular that comes to mind), Bacteria, and Archaea (extremophiles, like those single-celled organisms living in hot springs, mine tailing ponds, etc.). Within Eukaryotes, Fungi are of course separate from Plantae (not a term often used any more), just as Fishy says. You can read a lot more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_%28biology%29 but the basic idea is that the "Five Kingdoms" structure grouped together a lot of organisms under "Prokarya" that actually aren't closely related at all.

As to the original idea, I don't actually think that it would be too difficult to bring some live oyster mushrooms or shiitake to the playa as a demonstration, provided they were nearly ready to harvest. Just bring the log or other growing medium in a sealable plastic box to show people how the 'shrooms are grown and keep said demo box out of the wind when not in use. I expect you'd have to eat or dry the 'shrooms pretty quickly because of the heat, but I think they'd last a few days if kept in the shade.

BoyScoutGirl wrote:Pssst, guys... The "five kingdoms" organizational view of life is actually fairly long outdated, though it is still sometimes taught in classrooms. Biologists now use three domains: Eukaryotes (including Fungi and pretty much anything else multicellular that comes to mind), Bacteria, and Archaea (extremophiles, like those single-celled organisms living in hot springs, mine tailing ponds, etc.). Within Eukaryotes, Fungi are of course separate from Plantae (not a term often used any more), just as Fishy says. You can read a lot more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_%28biology%29 but the basic idea is that the "Five Kingdoms" structure grouped together a lot of organisms under "Prokarya" that actually aren't closely related at all.

As to the original idea, I don't actually think that it would be too difficult to bring some live oyster mushrooms or shiitake to the playa as a demonstration, provided they were nearly ready to harvest. Just bring the log or other growing medium in a sealable plastic box to show people how the 'shrooms are grown and keep said demo box out of the wind when not in use. I expect you'd have to eat or dry the 'shrooms pretty quickly because of the heat, but I think they'd last a few days if kept in the shade.

No wonder I couldn't find some supporting stuff on wikipedia.

I hate science! It's always changing!

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Oh.. The sentiments of eplayans on drug usage is also noted on the aforementioned threads. I think for most folks it sounds something like, 'if you are dumb enough to try to bring it onto the playa then it's your fault for getting fined/jailed.'

Whatever amount of alcohol you plan on bringing can likely be doubled, if you drink.

Don't forget to book your hotel in Reno so that you are well rested before/after the long drives.

Illuminate. Navigate. Celebrate.What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

And seeing as though you made mention of playa 'drug use' in this thread you most def don't want to draw attention to yourself if you have any desire to use anything that may be illegal in NV. I'm assuming you haven't read the ticketing thread since you posed that question... Virgins do it every year and wonder if the ticketing for illegal drugs was fair...

I was more curious about how folks act and the general theme of drug use rather than how I may be able to get away with use. I imagine the event itself is a drug in and of itself.

It really is. If there's anywhere on earth that you don't need chemical help to feel euphoric beyond reason or see strange & beautiful things that make you feel like you're hallucinating, it's Black Rock City. That said, everyone Burns differently, and sometimes being a little tipsy dancing in the afternoon sunshine on a pink fur-covered bar is the best thing ever.

*** 2013 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

Since I don't own any gnarly costumes or clothing, I was thinking of just wearing plain white Ts with something markered on it.A few ideas I had were inking one to say, "take my hand to play Choose Your Own Adventure". Then, if they came and held my hand I would lead them to an area, give them a choice as to what to do....but speaking in story telling formatI.e. "you've come across the pink haired naked man in the light of dawn on the playa. A curious looking fellow who seems to be having the time of his life. Do you choose to approach pink haired naked man and offer him a hug, or do you choose to quickly look away and head towards that mirror art exihibit that lies ahead"

--or whatever. The game would be where you lead people places and give them choices as to where their adventure will head next with shLong.

(You know, like the old choose your own adventure books) lol

Or a shirt that says "I'm collecting 100 kisses" and have the # 1-100 listed under the text and after they kiss me, I give them the marker to cross off their #. (Or that same idea with hugs)

And one more that says " come take my right hand and I'll lead you on an adventure, take my left hand and you lead me on one"...or something aloing those lines.

Or I guess I could just start making wacky costumes

Do these ideas sound like something that would mesh with the BM crowd?

I'd say read the posts on things like that... A quick search might be helpful.

FYI, lots of folks on the playa seem to have ADHD or 'shiny thing' syndrome.... Try the tshirt idea and let us know how it goes. I wouldn't do more than one choice, personally, before I headed off to see something else.

Tshirts are fine. I don't go around dressed as a teddy bear (no offense to any bears in here) or something crazy... Remember the photos you see are going to be of the more outlandish things you see on the playa seeing as though they equate to page views and higher search rankings.

There is no specific BM crowd. Think of it as what it is, a city... Over 56,000 people. Think about it as being a city with a population of West Allis or La Crosse, but a lot more compact.

Illuminate. Navigate. Celebrate.What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

That's true. I guess I'm just concerned with being too 'vanilla'.I read posts about "boring virgins' and I guess I don't want to be one of them.

The choose your own adventure game I suppose would apppeal to somebody like me who's new and wants to go for a stroll with a new friend and see as much as possible. I just thought that it would be a nice idea, leading them somewhere and giving choices on what they wanna do next. I just wanna have fun and socialize.

Costco Soulmate Outlet. They try to pair up Burners out there. It's actually quite a challenge to find the person you're assigned to, and you might not click if you do meet them, but Costco Soulmate Outlet is a playa institution.

Everyday clothing is relative. If I'm wearing an ankle-length silk slip all morning I'm not sure I would call that "everyday", but it's not a costume. It's actually quite practical and comfortable. Costuming is a continuum. But if I want to be helpful . . . I'm guessing that 30%-40% of the people out there are in "regular" clothing at any given time. Some of them are hard workers and volunteers who just don't have the time, inclination, or interest. Occasionally they get teased for it from 1 or 2 ignorant people who don't realize it's none of their business.

There are lots of ways to approach dressing out there. Some folks have an outfit or two per day, some just have a special Burn night outfit and a fun coat and hat, some are in uniform the whole time, some are in khakis the whole time, some guys go tropical and wear sarongs all week. Jeans are not that comfortable out there due to their weight, especially snug ones, but I know a volunteer who wears loose jeans all week and waits for someone to call him out. Whatever you do, bring practical stuff first. Comfortable boots or shoes. Desert goggles. Warm coat. Maybe a lighter hoodie. Backpack or messenger bag. Bandannas. Dust mask. Lightweight stuff for day. These can be items with a sense of humor or whimsy, but they may also be strictly business.

You're all very helpful and I really appreciate the time you've all taken to answer my questions and concerns. If this thread is any indication of the status-quo, I'm gonna meet some awesome folks.

Savannah, do you think my t-shirt idea would be a neat addition?

If I register on time and login within the hour of tickets going on sale, am I gonna have a problem getting tix?..or do they sell out right away? (I plan on clocking out at work right on time and buying)

Hmm. It's not a bad idea. Some might think it was awesome. It's hard to say. I'm on the shy side and don't like to kiss strangers. 100 hugs might be better. And pay attention to body language when you offer, to get the Natural Born Huggers.

But there was a kissing booth last year (both sides open to the public) and it got a lot of traffic, so don't let me squelch your dreams.

I can't be sure how fast tickets will go this year. My recommendation to you is to be ready when they go on sale, and hop right on it.

*** 2013 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

Savannah wrote:But there was a kissing booth last year (both sides open to the public) and it got a lot of traffic, so don't let me squelch your dreams.

Are you talking about the lil' crack whore kissing booth?

I can tell you a few things that are going into my bin (I'm tucking away my essentials now so I can throw out things). A boy scout shirt, my queen of hearts dress (I wore it last year on my bday and plan on wearing it the day before my bday this burn), a tutu (for tutu Tuesday), a tshirt that says 'You totally suck at life (real classy, I know), a tshirt that says 'So many girls' on one side and 'so little time' on the other, my Lamplighter hoodie, my coat, comfy shoes, a couple dresses and the rest will just be random stuff

Like Savannah said, a lot of folks don't go all out on costuming themselves.

This was one morning (9am ish) in the French Quarter when I was waiting for a beignet. I'm not sure who the guys were that posed for the pic.

bm26149b.jpg

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Illuminate. Navigate. Celebrate.What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

I have three uniform tops, which barely got used. (fuck, I promised the woman who made the fabric a picture...) Teeshirts, a mad scientist one, a blue-footed booby one (sniff), a Posada one, a felt hat... I need to maybe find something more. grrrr. I'm not good at this.I do not wear my ranger or esd shirts out there. Do not want to impersonate an officer.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Ok, thanks, that's good to know.I'm gonna try and figure out a mushroom costume of some sort.....or at the very least make a mushroom sombrero with plush mushrooms attached to the top and beads and such hanging down around the rear of the rim.

And I may also try for a Harry Potter costume, since I can make myself look like HP (not Radcliffe, but the illustrated HP)

Well, even though I'm not really trying to bring my personal business on this board, I hate to say it, but Burning Man 2013 has just ended a 7 1/2 year relationship of mine.My girlfriend doesn't want to go and said she'd break up with me if I chose to go.And, well, I'm going.

She doesn't like it when I do things without her, even something as small as going to the bar with a buddy on his birthday. Clearly, the roots of the problems dig deeper than just this, which I've discussed in legnth with my friends at The Shroomery, but I can't let her paranoia control my life and keep me from experiencing what I want to do.

So, in closing, thank you Burning Man for helping me break my chains of this toxicity. I hope you're worth it....but I don't think I need to hope very far.